Hesse Six-Place Medal Bar

[tyanacek]

Hello to all,

I bought this six-place medal bar at the recent MAX Show. When I bought this bar, the Silver Hessen Bravery Medal was missing and a zinc Prussian Cross for War Aid was hanging in its place. I then searched the show for a long time before I finally found a loose Silver Hessen Bravery Medal to buy. You would think that it would be easy to find one at such a large show, but it took quite awhile. With the restoration complete, I think the bar looks great once again. Hope you like it too.

Best regards,

Tom

[Claudius]

Outstanding.

Looks great. Nicely done with your restoration. A solid bar.

[M Hunter]

Hi Tom,

Very nice addition to your fabulous collection! Well done on the excellent restoration.

Best wishes

Matt

[saschaw]

Nice bar, well restored, and probably for a Wehrmacht general.

[tyanacek]

Nice bar, well restored, and probably for a Wehrmacht general.

Hello guys,

Thanks to all for the comments.

Sascha: I would agree that this bar belonged to at least an Oberst, if not a Generalmajor, by 1939.

Best regards,

Tom

Edited October 4, 2011 by tyanacek

[Paul C]

That is a nice one. If it had one more decoration it would probable be identifiable.

[ostprussenmann_new]

Very nice medal bar. It would be nice to put a name to it.

[Paul C]

A look through the 1924 ranklist would narrow it down.

[Ulsterman]

Definitely army- I just checked the Reichsmarine lists for 1931/32 and no such combo.

...this bar is driving me nuts- I KNOW that I have a picture of an officer with this combo somewhere but I just can not find it.

[Dave Danner]

I just came across an almost-match, but he only had a Wehrmacht DA2. The search continues...

[tyanacek]

I just came across an almost-match, but he only had a Wehrmacht DA2. The search continues...

Hello Dave,

Thank you very much for your efforts. What year ranklist were you using?

Best regards,

Tom

[Paul C]

_{Got him!}

[tyanacek]

Hello guys,

Thanks to the incredible researching work of of Paul Chepurko, and with confirmation by Rick Lundström, this medal bar was identified as having belonged to Oberst Rudolf. He was an Ordnance Officer and appears in the 1924 Reichsheer Ranklist with the rank of Oberleutnant. In the 1939 Ranklist he is an Oberst and then he is no longer listed in the 1943 Ranklist. The assumption is that he may have retired sometime in 1942, due to age or ill-health. With some additional research, some more details may surface, such as his first name and any subsequent awards that he earned in WW2. I am also looking forward to receiving a copy of Paul's reprint of the 1924 Reichsheer Ranklist. I am very grateful for Paul's hard work and, once again, I owe another debt of gratitude to Rick.

Best regards,

Tom

[Dave Danner]

I guess I can add a couple of small details after all...

It's Rudolph, not Rudolf. Oskar Bruno Rudolph, born 5.9.1885 in Passenheim, Kreis Ortelsburg, East Prussia. He was the son of Julius Rudolph, a Gendarmeriewachtmeister a.D. in Neustettin, who died on 18.8.1930, and Auguste née Schulz, who died on 12.11.1906. Oskar was married on 12.12.1918 in Neustettin to Agnes Sommer, born 4.4.1890, daughter of Reinhold Sommer, a Kaufmann in Neustettin.

Oskar entered the army on 118.10.1903 as a Freiwilliger in a Fußartillerie Regiment (the number isn't legible, but it looks like FußAR 13). He was promoted to Obergefreiter on 18.9.04 and Unteroffizier on 19.9.05. He was promoted to Feuerwerker on 1.1.09 and transferred to the Artillerie-Depot Danzig. He then served in various Artillerie-Depots, and was promoted to Oberfeuerwerker on 1.10.12 and Feuerwerks-Leutnant on 30.5.14.

After mobilization, he was assigned to the staff of several Fußartillerie-Regiments and to the Generalkommando XVIII.Armeekorps.

After the war, on entering the Reichsheer, he was assigned to the Depot-Inspektion of the Feldzeugmesiterei. He was characterized an Oberleutnant on 17.8.20 and transferred to the Zeugamt Königsberg. He was discharged on 15.4.21 due the reductions in the German armed forces, but came back a short while later on 15.6.21. He was promoted to Oberleutnant beim Zeugamt on 28.9.21, with effect from 1.7.21, and was later given an RDA of 25.2.15 (2). He was promoted to Hauptmann beim Zeugamt on 1.2.28 (I'm not sure about the RDA, but it looks like 18.4.17 (31)). He went to the Munitions-Institut Ingolstadt in 1930.

He was promoted to Major (W) on 1.10.33 with an RDA of 1.8.30 (3) and was named Vorstand of the Zeugamt Ingolstadt on 23.12.33 with effect from 1.2.34. On 20.4.35, he became an Oberstleutnant (W) with effect from 1.4.35 and an RDA of 1.4.34 (33). In 1936 he went to the Heeres-Feldzeugmeisterei V. He was promoted to Oberst (W) on 31.12.38 with effect from 1.1.39.

On 16.2.39, with effect from 1.3.39, he became leader, then commander of Feldzeugstab (Fest) F beim Generalkommando der Grenztruppen Oberrhein. From 4.10.40 to 28.9.41, he was leader of the Feldzeugarbeitsstab Elsaß in Straßburg. On 29.9.41, he went to Feldzeuggruppe 1. I don't know why he disappeared from the ranklist, but he was with Feldzeuggruppe 1 until 6.2.44. There is a hard-to-read entry that seems to say he may have been retired from active duty but remained in the position; however, his March 1944 evaluation report lists him as an active officer. On 7.2.44 he was transferred to the Feldzeuginspizient des Ersatzheeres. On 12.11.44 he was transferred to the staff of the Stellv. Generalkommando X.Armeekorps and tasked as Feldzeug commander (m.d.W.d.G. des Feldzeugkommandeurs beauftragt). That

is the last entry in his personnel file.

Decorations:

EK2 (28.3.15)

ÖM3K (2.8.15)

EK1 (13.3.16)

VAs (4.8.18)

HT (19.8.18)

The Wehrmacht/Heer long service (WHDA) and the Honor Cross for Combatants (FKE) aren't listed in his file, but presumably as an active officer at the time he got the FKE in December 1934 and the WHDA1 on 2.10.36.

His World War Two decorations were:

Schutzwall-Ehrenzeichen (15.3.40, Nr. 15188)

KVK2X (20.11.40)

KVK1X (17.2.44)

Here is his file photo:

[tyanacek]

Yahoo!

Thank you for sharing all of this information from his service record, Dave. Did you locate this personnel file at the US Archives? How cool that he was also awarded the 1914 EK1 and 1914 Black Wound Badge. The info on his subsequent awards is great too. I figured that he was a shoe-in for the 1939 KVK2X but probably nothing else, assuming that he retired sometime in 1942. It is great to know that he was also awarded the Westwall Medal and the 1939 KVK1X and, most likely, stayed in service to the end of the war. I sincerely thank you and I owe you a great debt of gratitude for your willingness to share this information. You da man!

Best regards,

Tom

[Claudio]

Incredible.... with so few decorations and most importantly common ones I would have never thought it could be passible to trace down the original owner... What an incredible team work! ;-)